Mogaroth

From World of Charun

Contents

Description

Mogaroth is located in between the Snowy Peaks and the shore of the West Sea. It was long thought that only dragons and other flying creatures could travel there, since the shoreline is littered with treacherous rocks and cliffs and there was no known passage through the mountains into the realm. This was far from true though, which was discovered when masses of Mogaroth troops began pouring through the mountains in the Third Age. Today the area claimed by Mogaroth spreads from Urgin in the north to the region formerly claimed by Nar-Ago in the western parts of the Farlands.

There are those who claim to have been in the realm at some point, and the few testimonies of the landscape existing are based on their stories. None of these stories have been confirmed, for obvious reasons -- Mogaroth is the champion-state of the last remaining Greater Sauroid. While there are those who could conceivably travel there under dubious circumstances, most are likely to be killed on sight, as Mogaroth's founder harbors keen memories of the genocidal wars pursued in the Second Age by the Mórail and their human allies. These travellers claim that there are numerous volcanoes dotting an arid landscape, which light up an otherwise dark and gloomy realm by casting fiery reflections into the clouds. The Snowy Peaks surrounding the lands capture all the clouds brought in from the West Sea, keeping them in a thick layer above the land. Those portions of the upper elevations which are not clear because of volcanic heat are thus wreathed in thick mists, and are surprisingly cool and damp.

Mogaroth is ruled by the Great Wyrm Garothroar, the last known surviving Great Sauroid. Garothroar is nearly 3000 years old and so large that his wings are no longer capable of carrying him. He rules the realm from his great fortress through various Sauroid servants. Mogaroth proper holds no real towns or cities, save the villages and strongholds built and inhabited by the Urmen and Saurians dwelling there. There are, however, several fortresses that can be compared to small towns because of their size. Uhrzag Fortress is the largest of these, it is also the seat of Garothroar. The Greater Sauroid's hoard is said to contain more riches than any treasure or collection of wealth in the world.

The only real city in Mogarothi rule is Ghurzam. It lies in the former territory of Nar-Ago, built on the ruins of their capital Waki-Ago. It holds a harbour used by the ships of Mogaroth, and has become a thriving city of Sauroids and Urmen, and supposedly also holds one thriving tribe of Cavers working within it to produce manufactured goods according to Garothroar's wishes. Ghurzam bustles with constant activity and shows itself to be a clear hybrid between the inherited Nar-Agi architectural style and that preferred by the Sauroids.

The Mogarothi language is primarily Sauroid, with a wide leavening of Urman words interspersed throughout. The Urmen of Mogaroth are said to speak a highly-simplified version of the language depending on their native linguistic ability, with a few able to speak more or less "regular" Sauroid. Its 'suburbs' are heavily-populated with Urmen kept busy with food-gathering tasks and working on various labor projects, while central areas are said to have various temples and a huge plaza in which barter goes on both day and night. The city is also said to be quite violent, as befits societies in which fights for dominance are considered to be natural and unproblematic phenomena, particularly amongst the Urmen. Dragons are occasionally said to visit the city, but they apparently prefer (or are required) to remain within Mogaroth itself for the most part.

Economy

Little is known about the economy of Mogaroth. They don't trade with any known nation, but they are known to do so with humanoids returning from raids and hunting trips, who are eager to lay their hands on Mogarothi weapons and armour. Mogaroth also send their own troops to loot and pillage, especially Urmen into the Northlands and down into the Deep Dark.

Fishing ships with Urmen in them have been spotted off the coast near Ghurzam, as well as in various labours near the city, such as digging wells and attempting to farm the land. It is not known to what extent this has been successful, but given that neither Sauroids nor Urmen have a native tradition of agriculture, it's widely presumed to be inefficient at best.

What is known for a fact is that the region of Mogaroth holds dozens of iron and coalmines, with countless furnaces and smithies that produce what is known as Urman Steel," which is only a little better than ordinary iron. Sauroids are known to take part in directing this work, as the intense heat produced throughout the realm by its numerous volcanos is regarded by most of its Saurians and Sauroids as an asset rather than a danger. Occasionally weapons and armor are encountered amongst the Sauroids of the region that is of notably higher quality, and it is presumed that these are the results of Sauroid manufacture.

Army

Mogaroth possesses one of the most feared armies in Charun. Their numbers are unknown, but their strength, on the other hand, is well-tested.

The core troops consist of Urmen native to the region and their primitive cousins known as Growlers originating in the Endless. A large number of Urmen from Urgin are found in the army as well, mainly stationed in the north, along the borders of their own homeland - now a territory of Mogaroth. The Urmen of Urgin can, however, be found in almost every section in the army. These are led by Saurian officers, supplemented with and occasionally ridden by the feared Dreadarks -- hugely powerful flightless birds which can move at great speed and are said to perform a role similar to that of cavalry.

The most feared and powerful units are the dragons. These are Sauroids of nearly unmatched power, able to fly large distances and wreak havoc when acting singly -- and widespread devastation when acting as a unit. Their numbers are a matter of open conjecture, since Garothroar lost a significant number of them during the wars of the Third Age. It is openly suspected that Garothroar has been carefully biding his time while the population of dragons rebuilds itself.

For a long time, those special agents of Garothroar who were said to travel and work with the draconic Sauroids were referred to as "Morothi," and were thought to be a different species. Over time, however, most sages have accepted the opposite view -- that the so-called "Morothi" are merely Saurians who are partners, servitors, and possibly even relatives of the Dragons. Sauroids being widely variable in both their intelligence and their uncanny ability to control their own genetics, it is generally considered pointless to speculate too far into the subject without a number of specimens to actually study. That being something unlikely to occur in the absence of a major and bloody war, the details remain an open mystery for now.

In addition to its own forces, the Host of Mogaroth is able to call upon the services of Saurians and Urmen over which it exercises suzerainty, if not direct control. This includes the Urmen of the Skullcrusher swamps and forest, and it is widely suspected that Urmen within the Snowy Peaks and Saurians in the Grey Fens who have been engaged in combat against the Dhazzir and Narghali forces have done so at Mogaroth's instigation.

Religion

A myriad of various gods and powers are worshipped in Mogaroth by the different races living there. However, there is no state-religion other than that Garothroar, the Great Wyrm, is considered by many to be a divine being. He sees himself as a demi-god, something that few are to doubt or question. As the last remaining Greater Sauroid, he is considered a creature of nightmare to humans and Mórail, but is regarded with outright adulation by those Saurians who serve him, whose status as "The Unconquered (by the hated Mórail)" rests almost solely upon Garothroar's efforts. Veneration is thus not only a State Cult, but also is said to be a surprisingly sincere one even amongst the Urmen.

The Sauroids and Saurians of Mogaroth, in addition to venerating Garothroar, are said to keep various temples of their own. The breaking of the "Truthbringer" was said to be of great benefit to the Saurians -- Saurians who had never previously shown any aptitude for arcane power have gradually developed quite a bit of it during the Fourth Age as Saurian mystics have become more common. Since they could not exist if Garothroar found them to be a threat to his own veneration, it is assumed that the Great Wyrm encourages this -- such Mystics are, after all, exceedingly useful when present within the Host.

History

Founding

The founding of Mogaroth remained for long one of the great mysteries of Charun. It was obvious that the area had always been home to various Urmen which now make up the bulk of the army, but who or what subdued them was not known. The other great mystery was the number of dragons which appeared there in the Third Age.

Garothroar, the last survivor of the slaughter at Vertex Bastion, was able to fly away, unlike the rest of his family. He was assumed to smashed to a pulp and buried alive under the ruins of the Bastion, as was his mother and younger brother, but precisely because of the landslide and huge slaughter which took place there, this was impossible to verify. What is now known is that he fled to what is now known as Mogaroth, and began slowly gathering Sauroids of various types to him, who kept the ancient Sauroid/Urman alliance alive long after it had been broken in the rest of Charun. For what remained of the Second Age, and for much of the Third Age, Garothroar wisely bided his time and licked his wounds, rebuilding his forces and watching events unfold.

Garothroar had a plan. He understod that he could, regardless of his own greatness, never succeed in recapturing the land from the Mórail alone. Those opposing him could, as they had done before, join forces - thus becoming nearly impossible to defeat. He would therefore build his own army consisting of troops, led by warriors and dragons bound to one and other through blood and common interest in resisting the genocidal onslaught unleashed by the Mórail. These would need to exist in numbers large enough to handle an enemy alliance of any size.

Mogaroth Emerges

It was not until 889 III that rumours about an actual nation in between the Snowy Peaks began circulating. It took not more than a few years until travellers had seen ridden dragons and ominous looking troops in the mountainous areas surrounding the realm. Within months the rumours had spread across Charun, making many shun the most western parts of the Snowy Peaks. Those that went there to investigate were not heard from again.

However, it was not until Destan 905 III that they emerged fully, revealing their intentions. Mogaroth forces began marching towards the Empire of Nar-Ago, simultaneously as they expanded into the Northlands, where they were rumoured to wage war against the Giron in their dark and dusky forests.

During the following month, a full-scale war broke out between Nar-Ago and Mogaroth that was to last for nearly 7 years. Nar-Ago was finally defeated with the destruction of it's capital, Waki-Ago, that fell in the 28th of Giarda 912 III after a 20 months long siege.

Mogaroth began rebuilding the ruins of Waki-Ago in Gesnar 913 III, the last year of the Third Age, into the dark city today known as Ghurzam. The construction of the Iron Tower began the same year.

The Fourth Age has seen a similar development, where Mogaroth has attempted to expand into enemy territories. Their plans have, however, been effectively halted by Sun Glade out on the sea. Until the eruption of Mount Doom, the Mogarothi were held at bay on land by the Three Isles, but with the withdrawal of the Army of the Isles, Mogaroth now exercises suzerainty over a significant portion, if not the majority, of the fertile area north of the Central Sea. The "Fortification Line" now stretching southwest from the Tower of Hulbart forms a barrier from which troops, agents, and emissaries are able to filter into the rest of Charun, gathering its strength for when it feels confident to confront Garothroar's ancient enemies directly.